This weekend, the Tadamon! collective will be participating in the annual Montreal Anarchist Bookfair, one of the largest anarchist events in North America that brings together hundreds of book sellers, print makers, artists, community organizers, independent journalists and many curious onlookers. Launched in 2000, the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair is an important space for people to discuss and share ideas outside of the framework of mainstream politics and tangibly build relationships within grassroots networks in Montreal and beyond.

Tadamon! is particularly excited to take part in the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair at a time of growing popular protest in Quebec, sparked by the historic Quebec student strike. As an anti-authoritarian collective working in “solidarity with struggles for self-determination, equality and justice in the ‘Middle East’ and in diaspora communities in Montreal and beyond,” Tadamon! fully supports the bookfair as a place to share ideas and shape political work at the ground level.

In recent years, Tadamon! has joined and supported the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair at a time of rebellion across the Middle East- from the ongoing Palestinian struggle for freedom to the open rebellions currently taking place across the Middle East, from Egypt to Bahrain.

As we witness the total inability of governments around the world to support in any meaningful way the truly democratic revolts taking place across the Middle East, our belief in politics from the ground-up has been strongly reaffirmed. Furthermore, the horizontal style of organizing that largely defined the popular protests in the Middle East demonstrates the ongoing influence of anarchist practice on the ground in struggles for liberation.

We encourage all our friends and allies from Montreal and beyond to check out the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair and the entire Festival of Anarchy events taking place throughout the month of May.